As a traditional Chinese medicine, Mirabilitum Citrulli Preparatum (referred to herein as “Mirabilitum Praeparatum”) is a white amorphous powder made by processing the fresh ripe fruit (watermelon) of Citrullus Ianatus (Thunb.) Matsum. et Nakai with Mirabilitum (also known as “Glauber's salt”). The traditional preparation method of Mirabilitum Praeparatum was as following: the ripe fruit (watermelon) of Citrullus Ianatus (Thunb.) Matsum. et Nakai was cut off a thick slice along the pedicel as top cover, remove some pulp to add some Mirabilitum, and then recover the top cover and fix with bamboo stick. After that, watermelon was put into an earthen pot and covered, and then locate the earthen pot at a shady and cool place with ventilate, waiting for the hoar frost precipitating from the watermelon and collecting as soon as possible until no hoar frost precipitated.
Mirabilitum Praeparatum with potencies of clearing away the heat evil and expelling superficial evils and detumescence and analgetic, has a long history in treating sore throat, pharyngitis, and aphtha. Mirabilitum Praeparatum which is called “panacea of laryngology”, has been considered as a miracle pharmaceutical preparation to cure diseases of throat and cavum oris by doctors of successive dynasties in China. In traditional Chinese medicine theories, potencies of clearing away the heat evil and expelling superficial evils and detumescence and analgetic for Mirabilitum Praeparatum lie in the ripe fruit (watermelon) of Citrullus Ianatus (Thunb.) Matsum. et Nakai with potency of clearing away summerheat and Mirabilitum with potency of clearing away heat and reducing fire, processed the watermelon with Mirabilitum will improve the potency synergetic. At present, studies on Mirabilitum Praeparatum focus on the clinical observations and new applications. More compounds of Mirabilitum Praeparatum have been used in clinical, such as Guilin Xiguashuang spray, Xiguashuang lozenge, Xiguashuang buccal tablets, and Guilin Xiguashuang capsules.
The traditional preparations of Mirabilitum Praeparatum were various all over the country. The inconformity and miscellaneous in preparation technology, serious pollution such as the pathogenic bacteria in production, too long production cycle, inefficiency, unclear mechanism, and instability quality for Mirabilitum Praeparatum was not suitable for the modern production. Consequently, most Mirabilitum Praeparatum production factories were forced to shut down successively in 1970s.
In previous study, we found that the traditional preparation of Mirabilitum Praeparatum was actually a fermental process and the secondary metabolites from microorganisms were the therapeutic basis of Mirabilitum Praeparatum. This is different from the traditional viewpoint that considered the mirabilitum and amine acid from the ripe fruit (watermelon) of Citrullus Ianatus (Thunb.) Matsum. et Nakai as the therapeutic basis of Mirabilitum Praeparatum. Therefore, the present invention will prepare Mirabilitum Praeparatum by fermental method. The optimized fermental technology was obtained by determining the natural strain participated in the fermental process of Mirabilitum Praeparatum. As a result, the produced Mirabilitum Praeparatum possessed short production cycle, stable quality and no pollution. In addition, present invention also confirmed that the obtained Mirabilitum Praeparatum could exert its therapeutic effects through inhibiting and killing the common pathogenic bacteria that cause sore throats and mouth and tongue dermatitis by experiment. The Mirabilitum Praeparatum extract prepared in present invention can be prepared into pharmaceutical preparation to treat infectious diseases of mucous membrane and skin, such as cavum oris ulcer, paradentosis, glossitis, rhinitis, laryngopharyngitis, dermatitis, otitis media, uterine cervicitis, kysthitis, and other health products and cosmetics.